


Someday

by Hannah (hannahoftheinternet)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Elizabethan Era, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Birthday, Falling In Love, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9837941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahoftheinternet/pseuds/Hannah
Summary: "It is common knowledge that man desires company, be it familial, platonic, or romantic. These desires cannot be denied for longer than a breath. They always surface and are told, whether with the lips, the hands, or the eyes."Four years. Centuries apart, these two men always found each other.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I spent FOUR F*CKING HOURS ON THIS AND IT'S UTTER SH*T BE PREPARED

_The Fourth of October, 1589_

It is common knowledge that man desires company, be it familial, platonic, or romantic. These desires cannot be denied for longer than a breath. They always surface and are told, whether with the lips, the hands, or the eyes.

Such as it was for a common man called William of Paeon, who did not expect to find company with one so unlike him.

It was market day in the village of Pandemos, which ordered him out into the light of the midday sun with his purse. The road was mired with dust and commonfolk, interspersed with animals and the occasional stray cabbage.

“Gow now the present day?” William tipped his cap at the man peddling cinnamon and cloves.

“Fine,” the man grunted. William dropped coins on his table and departed, taking the cloves with him.

He was not looking when an old hag shouted for attention, and he did not see when a barrel of ale rolled into the street, and he was not watching as a small dark shape ran in front of him. He did divert his attention to the task at hand, however, when his foot caught the toppled barrel and he collapsed, taking a slight young man down with him.

“Ho, beest careful!” the young man squawked. William’s face was so close that their breaths mixed. He could see the flecks of green in the other man’s eyes.

William rose; scarlet in the face, but his good graces had risen with him. “My most humble apology. My mind wast somewhere else entirely. Art thee well enow?”

“Thee squashed mine leggeth,” he objected. He looked up from tending his wounded appendage. “Thou art most handsome, I must sayeth.”

William smiled gaily. “Thee yourself surpass the beauty of anyone else I has't hadst the fortune to meeteth.”

“Twas a pleasure meeting thee…” He paused as if in question.

“William,” he answered the unspoken query. “William of Paeon.”

“William. Thou mayest refer to me as Nico.”

“Nico.” The name felt odd and beautiful. “Telleth me, art thee from the land of Italy?”

Nico’s lips curved at the mention of his home. “Forsooth I am. Tis a most quite quaint country. The sun nev'r ceases shining.”

“I should love to visit thither, someday.”

“Someday.”

***

_March the ninth, 1853_

“Have you been to the fine country of Italy, Sir William?”

The question, posed by a young woman whose name William could not remember, instantly transported him back to the fateful moment, many months ago, when he first encountered the captivating Nico di Angelo.

It occurred at a ball, much like the one he was attending at the moment. Some unknown party had dashed a tray of champagne to the floor. An older lady, possibly a member of the royal family, has shouted, startled by the crash. Lord di Angelo, no, he’d insisted upon being referred to as Nico, had rushed to help a member of the waitstaff clear away the glass. William, as usual, had been paying attention not to the things around him, but to the paintings of naked angels on the ceiling. Thus, he had walked straight into Nico, tipping him over. After a moment’s stunned silence, William had proffered his hand. Nico took it.

“Many thanks, sir. Who might you be?” The gorgeous young man had asked.

“Sir William Solace. And you?”

“Lord Nico di Angelo, Esquire. Thank you for not leaving me to soak in champagne, Sir William. I am forever in your debt.”

“I am quite certain that it would not mar your looks at all, Lord di Angelo.”

The lord laughed gaily. “Please, call me Nico. The formal introduction is habit, bashed into me by my father. And thank you. You have paid me a high compliment, especially as I have champagne seeping into my shoes.”

They moved away from the champagne puddle and struck a conversation far from the spilt drink.

“Are you a diplomat, Lord- ahem, Nico?”

“My father is,” Nico answered. “From Italy. Have you ever been to Italy? Such a lovely place. The sun never ceases to shine, you know.”

“I should love to go to Italy.”

“Perhaps, when I return, you will accompany me.”

“Perhaps.”

The sound of a clearing throat brought William back to the present moment.

“I shall go,” he told Lady Chase. “Someday.”

***

_August 13 th, 2013_

“So you still haven’t been to Italy?”

“You know I haven’t.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I’ve been away for five months. You must have had an opportunity!”

“Sorry that I don’t have enough money for plane tickets, Mr. My-Dad-Is-God-Of-Riches,” Will teased.

“Gods, you’re so full of it,” Nico moaned, dropping his head into his hands.

“Full of what?

“Snark and a decent amount of exasperating.”

“Ooh, breaking out the big words,” Will badgered.

“Shut up, dork.”

“Make me. Pipsqueak.”

Nico grabbed Will by the shirt and pushed him over, so Will’s hair tangled with the soft grass of midsummer. Nico pinned him by the shoulders, looming over him.

“You got strong since February,” mentioned Will. “Gods, that seems like it was so long ago. You know?”

“Yeah.”

“You still have your hands on my shoulders.”

“Sorry.” Nico gripped Will’s hand and pulled him up into a sitting position.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the sun dip behind the water.

Suddenly, Nico turned to Will and broke the silence. “There’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while. And now’s the perfect time to do it.”

“What, skinny dipping?” Will laughed, but he could see Nico turning red in the light of the iron lamp and the fireflies. “It’s not skinny dipping, is it?”

“Too cold,” Nico said. He hesitated for a moment, and then he blurted: “Can I kiss you?”

Will turned the words over in his mind, too startled to say anything besides “Um- uh…”

Nico covered his face. “I’m sorry. That was weird.”

Will made a decision. “No. It’s not. And, yes, you can.”

Nico looked up, eyes shining. “Really?”

“Yes,” Will confirmed. “Kiss me.”

Nico took the sides of Will’s face in his hands. Will noted the sword callouses on his friend’s hands and made a mental note to kiss them later. As Nico’s lips neared his own, Will panicked. “Wait, wait a minute.”

Nico drew back. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m-”

Will shushed him and gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” he said. “I just got nervous. I would still like you to kiss me. Not today. Not tomorrow.”

“The day after that?” Nico said. Will wiped tears away from his friend’s eyes.

“Someday.”

***

_January 28 th, 2014_

“Happy birthday, _Mein Freund_!” Will swung around the lamppost in his blue scarf and mittens. “I got you three presents!”

Nico shoved him. “You didn’t have to, dork. You know you didn’t.”

Will shrugged, grinning widely. “How old are you turning, anyway? Twelve? ‘Cause you’re just the right height.”

Nico took off his glove and smacked Will with it. “I’m eighteen, as you well know. You’re just being a d-”

Will covered his mouth and hissed, “Shh, child.”

Nico bit him, Will yelped, and they both beamed.

“Come on up to my apartment,” Will said. “You can unwrap the presents there, and I bought cake and hot chocolate mix. We can watch Buffy.”

Nico laughed, “Are you bribing me with cake and Buffy?”

“Possibly.”

Will’s apartment was a long way from Central Park, but the two men took the time to catch up. They hadn’t seen each other in months. Nico had been in Argentina and Will in medical school.

About half an hour later, Will fumbled with the keys to his apartment complex. “Ugh, I hate the cold. It’s impossible to do anything.”

“Stereotypical son of Apollo much?” Nico giggled behind his glove. “Here, let me do it.”

Nico unlocked the door with ease and climbed the five flights of steps with Will, who was complaining about frostbite, in tow. By the time they reached Will’s apartment, Will’s hands had warmed up so that he could unlock the door, heat up frozen cake, and stir double chocolate Ghirardelli hot chocolate mix into warm milk.

Nico settled into the corner of the loveseat that was reserved for him. “Still haven’t been to Italy, I gather?”

Will smiled at him. “I’ve been thinking about it. Speaking of that, presents!” He deposited the plate of cake and the mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table and ran into his room, reappearing with two badly wrapped packages.

Nico took a sip of hot chocolate and didn’t notice the milk mustache that appeared. Will held back a giggle as he handed the two parcels to his friend. “Open the bigger one first.”

Nico grimaced at the messily wrapped gift and said dryly, “Gee, I love the wrapping, Will. How long did that take you?”

“Shut up,” Will huffed. “It’s the thought that counts.”

Nico tore open the wrapping paper and immediately burst into a huge smile. “A complete boxed set of Buffy _and_ Angel with signed cast posters from each? Oh my gods, Will, you’re fantastic! I love you!”

“I figured you’d like it, you nerd,” Will said. “There’s one more poster. It’s signed too.”

Nico hunted around in the packaging and, upon locating the poster, burst into a fit of raucous laughter. “That…” he wheezed between breaths, “is… absolutely… wonderful.”

It was a poster from a naked bathtub photo-shoot of David Boreanaz, Nico’s favorite actor and longtime celebrity crush. “That should satisfy all your gay needs.”

“It’s perfect. Thanks, Will.”

“Open the next one,” Will urged. He was so excited for Nico to see the next gift.

Nico ripped the paper off the paper thin parcel. He slowly read the names and destinations of the two boarding passes, twice, three times, and teared up. “Will, I- I don’t know what to say. These must have been so expensive.”

“I always wanted to go to Italy with you,” Will murmured. “I thought that April break would be the best time.”

Nico threw his arms around his best friend. “We’re going to Italy together!”

Will smiled into Nico’s shoulder. “Yeah, we are. Don’t get too excited. You still have one present left.”

Nico pulled away. “Where is it?”

“It’s not really something you can wrap.”

Nico’s eyes widened. “Is it David Boreanaz?” he whispered.

Will’s face hurt from smiling so much. “You’ve had your David quota for the day filled, mister,” he teased, pointing a finger at Nico.

“Then what is it?! I hate suspense!”

Will paused for dramatic effect. Then he said, “I want to kiss you.”

Nico’s eyebrows arched. The effect was adorable. “You do?”

“Remember when I said someday? Today is that day.”

“Oh, Will!”

Nico leapt on him, arms about his neck. Then he kissed him.

When their lips touched, Will thought he might faint. Nico’s lips were chapped and warm from the hot chocolate, but the somewhat bitter taste of lip balm remained, intermingling with the taste of blackberries. The fingertips of Nico’s left hand were stained purple, Will remembered dazedly, even as Nico’s hands brought their bodies against each other. Even as his lips parted. Even as Nico carefully broke away and wiped the back of his hand against his lips, Will thought of blackberries. Nico’s favorite fruit. In that moment, it became Will’s too.

Will dragged the side of his hand against his mouth. “Wow.”

Nico’s lips were parted slightly. “Wow, indeed.”

“Could you do that again?” Will asked. “Just more forcefully. Maybe bite my lip a bit-”

Nico stopped him. “What are you doing?”

“Making up for lost time,” Will said, giddy at the thought of kissing Nico again and again and again. “I’m an idiot. I should have kissed you so much sooner. I don’t know what I was doing and- mmph!”

Nico’s lips were on his again, silencing him and making his heart flutter in his chest. He moved his head so that their noses touched as they kissed and moved together. Nico’s hand of his shirt, pulling him nearer. Will’s hands on Nico’s hips, tugging on his belt loops, trying to make them impossibly closer. His mouth. Nico’s mouth. Hands flat to his chest. Teeth- teeth on his lower lip, dragging against the skin.

“I love you,” Will whispered into Nico’s mouth. “Always have, always will.”

Nico’s mouth moved, kissing Will’s Adam’s apple, the place where neck and shoulder met. “I love you too.”

After some time, not enough time, Nico’s head came up from kissing Will’s palm. “You’re amazing, Will.”

“You too. Can you kiss me again?”

“Someday,” Will teased, pulling Nico closer by his jacket front as he said it.

“No. Now.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote thing for Tumblr's @lgbtqpjo's 3k week Slash Sunday and I'm F*CKING TIRED OKAY IT'S 11:30 O F*CKING CLOCK AND I NEED SLEEP  
> who am I kidding sleep is for the week  
> why do I write fanfiction it only makes me lonely and sad


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